Part of Your World
by XwinterstormX
Summary: Eren's a daring teenager, who has his head above water-literally. All the boy wants is to be human, and one day, when he rescues a prince, that dream becomes even more real. To top it off, Eren's in love with a prince! Ereri/Riren/RivaillexEren
1. Let Me Explore!

Eren sighed, the green eyes opening to see the sea floor all around him. _Oh_, he thought_, it was just a dream. _

Eren looked at his teal colored tail, moving it slightly, growling in frustration as he pretended to have human legs, to be a human teen.

Well, technically, he was older than a human teen. He was over a thousand years old, since being a merman made you not age. But, that was all he wanted, to find love somewhere up there, to be accepted and belong.

Because, surely, no merperson accepted him down here, especially for his dreams.

Sighing as the bell tower rang, signaling it was time for everyone to go home for the night, Eren reluctantly swam past others, mostly people he knew. As it got quiet around him, he knew the whispers would start. Flicking his tail in annoyance, Eren swam home as fast as he could.

His home was a cave, practically, but renovated to look like a home. As he swam in, his mother greeted him, but he just swam to his room, hearing Mikasa come in as well.

As he floated above his bed, staring up at the cave's roof, the hole created by an earthquake once long ago. He stared beyond it, up to the surface and sky above.

"Eren," Mikasa called, her red tail shimmering from the light above, "it's time to eat."

"Not hungry," he growled back, rolling onto his side as he sank to his bed, shutting his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked, swimming over and placing a hand on his shoulder, her voice monotonic as usual. He looked at her, sitting up slightly, watching the raven colored hair sway against her very pale skin.

"I had that dream again, Mikasa. I wasn't a merman anymore, I was on the surface. I had long legs, and people actually liked me. I don't see what's so bad about hu-"

"-humans are horrible creatures, Eren. They will not accept one of us."

Eren just glared at her, his eyes hardening, "They will. Just you wait."

"Eren! You can't talk to them, either! You know the rules!"

Eren rolled his eyes, rolling back over into his side, anger pooling into his stomach.

Sighing, Mikasa swam away, and that left Eren alone for the night.

The green-eyed teen stared longingly above at the surface, and as if on cue, a boat made its way over the cavern, far above, darkening his home.

As his curiosity reached its peak, he swam through the hole in the cave roof, barely fitting and causing a cut on one of his sides, and swam as fast as he could to the surface, his head hitting the cold, night air.

He gasped at the scene before him: three boats were in front of him; two of them had the same flag, and were surrounding the one in the middle.

"Pirates!" someone from the middle boat shouted, and that's when it started. The middle boat was now filled with people, as the two on the sides shot cannons and set in on fire. The pirates started killing people on the middle boat, while some jumped overboard, and one pirate was pulling a man of short stature with him, a sword at his neck. The short man didn't look worried at all, just very bored.

"Look what we caught here, boys!" the one holding the man said, "we caught ourselves a prince!"

The pirates cheered, but the man took his chance. He used the back of his head to but into the one's chest that captured him, and in a flash, had the blade that was by his neck clamped in his mouth. He raised to his full height, spitting the sword into his hand, the other hand flinching, as if it needed a second. The man struck a few pirates down, feeling triumphant, but that didn't last long. What he didn't know was that one of the pirates had hit gunpowder with a torch, and the ship wasn't going to last long.

The pirates retreated, and as Eren watched in awe, fire took up the sky, the middle ship exploding, sending the raven-haired man with the bored expression on his face flying-along with unconscious.

The man hit the water with a hard _SMACK _and slowly started sinking. Eren, stunned, sprung into action and dove underwater, grabbing the man around his waist as Eren struggled to bring him above the water. He grabbed a piece of wood and set the man's arms on it, along with his head, and swam towards the nearest shore as the pirates passed near them, laughing and partying to themselves.

As Eren reached the beach, a small drizzle started, picking up its pace into a steady rain. Eren lay the man on the sand, not very sure what to do, so he stayed by the man's side anxiously, hoping he was alright.

The man was short, surely, but Eren could tell he was very muscular, especially by his body weight. The bored expression was gone from his face, which looked to be sleeping soundly, and the white skin reflected from Eren's tan. Eren sighed, wondering what his eyes looked like as he moved a piece of hair out of the man's face.

"Why can't I be human?" he murmured quietly to himself, cupping the man's face in his hand.

As the sun appeared out of the clouds the next morning, the merman yawning due to his exhaustion, the man started to stir. Groaning, his eyes opened, meeting sleepy green ones, which snapped to attention as the merman started inching backwards.

A dog started loping its way towards the pair, barking at Eren, and sniffing over the mysterious man.

"Levi! Levi!" two voices called, making their way towards the shifting form. Eren retreated back into the water, only his tousled brown hair and sea green eyes visible.

As a man and woman ran up to the groaning man, he sat up with a "tsk."

"I'm so dirty," he growled to himself, trying to get the sand off, but failing.

"Levi! Thank God!" the two said, helping the man stand as the sheltie barked in the direction of Eren.

Levi, dazed, looked out towards the sea, "Did anyone else see that?"

"What?" the two asked in unison, cocking their heads to the side, the plum-haired woman's glasses falling off.

"The green eyes," the man murmured dreamily, "sea green eyes."

Eren sighed, dreamily watching the man and his helpers walk off, smiling a little to himself.

"Levi," he murmured, rolling the name off of his tongue, "Levi."


	2. What's Happening to Me!

Eren dove beneath the water, and back through the hole in the roof, hitting his bed in the process. Grumbling, he rolled onto his side and got some much-needed shut eye.

"_Eren_," Mikasa growled, "wake _up_!"

Eren groaned, rolling over as he opened his eyes, "what?"

"Time for school, c'mon," she growled, dragging him from his bed and downstairs. He grabbed whatever his mom had made, and they left for school together.

_Why even bother going_, he thought_, it's not like it makes a difference. We're stuck down here anyway, and don't learn about the surface. _

The day consisted of its usual writing practice, math, and spelling, and he swam as fast as he could home once it was over, with Mikasa in tow.

As usual, they started arguing over the surface, and how they couldn't go up there.

"Why do you want to go up there so much?! There's plenty of girls down here!" Mikasa yelled, while his blonde haired, blue-eyed friend Armin joined in.

Eren just glared, the image of Levi popping into his mind.

"First off, everyone hates me down here, pretty much. Second, no," Eren growled, growing a far off look in his eyes.

"Why the hell are you so stubborn?!" Mikasa snarled, gripping his shoulders to make him look at her, "there are plenty of girls who'd like you if you gave up with on the surface!"

"Eren, please, I know people who do like you!" Armin chimed in, his eyes getting watery, since he couldn't stand their fighting.

"It's because the person I want isn't down here!" Eren snapped, and after realizing what he'd said, he covered his mouth.

His friends just stared at him blankly, Mikasa glaring daggers.

"What the _hell_ did you _do_?" she snarled, her eyes showing rage, while her face remained stoic.

"There was a ship overhead one night and-"

"You went up to the surface, didn't you?!" Mikasa yelled, shaking him, "are you an idiot?!"

Eren just glared, "what's so wrong with the surface?!"

He pried Mikasa's hands off of his shoulders, and, with an agitated flick of his tail, he swam away, leaving Armin and Mikasa in silence.

As he swam, he let go of all thought, and before he knew it, he had breached the surface. He stared up at the bright sky, sighing, and climbed onto the rock next to him.

He stared out at the shore far away from him, noticing a familiar figure on the sand. That figure, surrounded by about three women in frilly dresses with crowns on their heads, had his eyes closed and looked to be playing something. It was long, with about six strings on it, but he didn't know the technical term for it. It was wooden, but let out a beautiful sound, and the figure seemed to be singing. Curious, Eren cupped his ears to listen, hearing the low but husky voice as it captivated its listeners. Eren sighed in delight, fighting the urge to sing along, and rolled over to tan on the rock, his teal fins slipping over the sides.

Shutting his eyes, he could hear the women squeal with delight once again at the short but muscular man. Eren opened an eye, seeing Armin surfacing, and Eren widened his eyes.

"What are you doing here?!" he hissed, sitting up.

"I'm seeing what it's like up here, Eren," Armin murmured, sitting beside his friend on the shorter rock. As the smaller boy noticed the group on the shore, he looked over at Eren, "is that the man you saved?"

Eren nodded, sighing, "Armin, have you ever liked someone before?"

Armin blushed slightly, nodding his head, "yeah, I have."

"Armin, I think-" Eren was cut off by the girls screaming, causing Eren to glance over at the shore. The figure had taken off his shirt, and was wading into the water. Even from here, the two boys could see how muscular the man actually was.

Eren flushed slightly, looking down and towards the water.

"E-E-Eren," Armin cried, shrinking into the rock.

"What, Armin?" Eren asked, looking at his friend.

"He-he's coming this way!"

Eren's head snapped up. He saw Levi getting closer, but didn't seem to have a destination for swimming. Eren lay low against the rock, slowly sliding off the back while grabbing Armin's arm.

The two hit the water with a splash, swimming as deep as they could to get away from the man.

Eren sighed, looking above to see the man swimming to the rock now, and climbing onto where Armin was. Armin's light blue tail matched his eyes, and it was curling in to Armin's chest as the boy was filled with fear.

"Armin," Eren said, putting a hand on Armin's shoulder, "it's okay."

Armin just sighed, unfolding his tail as he hugged his friend, "I see why you like it up there, Eren."

Eren felt slightly relieved, and hugged him back, "thank you, Armin. But, you don't have to do that for me. I'm going to explore up there someday. I know I will."

Armin studied his friend, looking into the shining green that showed pure determination, shaking his head but smiling, "you're hopeless."

"Armin," Eren mumbled, looking serious, "I think I fell in love with him. He…he's so handsome, and daring. Even with how he looked bored, he looked so cool."

Armin smiled sadly, "I know I shouldn't, Eren, but I will support you on this."

Eren beamed at the smaller boy, hugging him tightly, "thank you, Armin! You're the best!"

Armin beamed back, and then turned confused once Eren pulled away, looking like he needed a favor.

"I need you to help me, Armin," Eren said breathlessly, "I want to pay a visit to the sea witch."

**A/N: Here's the second chapter! I'll be updating Our Shared Dreams next, but i hopefully will have another chapter written today! Read and review please! Sayonara~!**


	3. Witches and Decisions

"What?!" Armin screeched, his hands balling into fists, "no way!"

Eren's eyes saddened, looking desperate, "Please, Armin! I-"

Armin just sighed, "Eren, please, no. Please. She's dangerous!"

The determined eyes shone through, "but she can make me human."

Armin saddened, shaking his head, "Eren, please."

Eren swam backwards, "I'll go on my own, if I have to. I don't want to put you into danger, Armin. You can stay here, it's okay."

Armin swam towards him, hugging him tightly, "Alright, alright, I'll help you."

Eren grinned hugging his friend as tight as he could, "thank you, Armin!" Eren grabbed his wrist, swimming as fast as he could towards the witch's lair.

As they reached the cave, a chill filled the water, and it seemed very dull and lifeless around. Armin clutched Eren's arm as he swam faster, the determination shining through his eyes and into his heart.

_I get to be human_, he thought, _I can find Levi!_

Eren grinned, entering the cave and looking around. His speed slowed, glancing at the dully colored plants below him and on the cave walls. Armin slowed, remaining in the doorway as a tail lashed out and grabbed Eren around the waist, yelling in surprise.

"Hello, there, honey," she cooed, the grey hair floating around her face, "what do you need?"

Eren remained quiet, studying her as her tail dropped from Eren's waist, "What can you do, sea witch?"

She cringed, "Ooh, that sounds so mean, honey! The name's Ersa."

The woman had a shark's tail, and the woman could change it into anything she wanted, along with her face and hair. Her hair changed to a dark brown, her face looking younger.

"Well," Eren gulped, "Ersa. Can you turn me into a human?"

The witch grinned widely, a wicked shadow coming over her face, "yes, but with a price."

"W-what price?"

"Well, whatever the best thing to you is, the most used, the most beautiful," she described.

Eren knew what she was going for, "you're going to take my voice, aren't you? For how long can I live up there?"

"You have a week for your legs, and if you can't end up happy-or if you fall into the sea-you're mine, forever," she threatened, grinning.

Eren sighed, glancing back at Armin, who was shaking his head. She started looking through the many potions finding the few she needed, she threw them into a pot. Soon, a potion was made, just enough to drink.

Armin's eyes widened, "Eren, don't!"

But, it was too late.

Eren reached for the cup, grasping it in his hands, and drinking once it was all gone, he started choking, gasping for air.

Armin, snapping into action as the woman cackled, grabbed his friend and started swimming as fast as he could. They breached the surface, but Eren remained gasping, and he gripped his throat, which felt like it was bubbling and closing.

"Eren!" Armin yelled, panicked as he laid the merman on the wet sand.

One final, shrieking scream was heard from Eren, and after that, he was quiet. Eren moved his mouth, but put his hand to his throat, shocked. Armin backed away, into the sea, crying. Eren smiled slightly at the merman; looking at the rugged cloth he wore around his waist, and then looked wildly at his legs. He rose one, eyes widened, and he grinned.

_Now_, he thought, _to find Levi._

"Levi!" Hanji yelled, running out onto the balcony next to the alerted prince.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, looking at her, as she nodded frantically. Together, they both headed out of Levi's office, down the stairs, and to the main hall. They slipped on shoes, and ran out to the beach.

Levi, feeling a pull in his heart, jogged towards where he washed up. He saw something almost immediately, and started sprinting, seeing a pair of bright green eyes flash in his mind. He saw tousled, brunette hair first, then the tan skin, and the slow breathing of the boy. Levi slowed, almost slipping in the sand, but knelt down beside the boy, whose eyes snapped open.

He sat up, trying to crawl away towards the water, but stopped, staring bewildered at it like it was a disease. The way his legs moved, you'd think he'd had a tail.

"Hello?" Levi murmured, the sea breeze moving his bangs into his face, reaching towards the boy, "can you stand? What's your name?"

The boy's mouth moved, but his hand moved to his throat, brows contouring in surprise.

"Did you lose your voice, brat?" the stoic growled, looking beyond hooded lids and into pure, sea green eyes.

_Wait a minute. Sea green…_

The boy looked at him with recognition, and he smiled, a dazzling smile, and pushed a piece of hair out of Levi's face. Realizing what he did, he scrunched back, looking towards the sea wildly, looking like a cornered animal.

Levi sighed, "I guess I have no choice, then. Come, you can stay with me, and be honored, brat. I'm a prince."

The boy nodded, as if he knew, and bowed as much as he could sitting. Levi reached out a hand, which the boy grabbed, and Levi pulled him up-only to fall on top of the boy. Levi gave him a death glare, his blue eyes locking with the bewildered green ones. Levi broke the gaze, noticing the flushed face of the boy, and grabbed him around his waist, flinging the boy over his shoulder as he made his way back to the castle, Hanji catching up.

"Lev-" she cut herself off, staring at the boy on Levi's shoulder, who was looking away in embarrassment. "Who's that?"

"Don't know," he answered curtly, "he can't speak."

"Well, let's see if he can write or something, then, when we get back."

Levi nodded, starting to jog back to the castle. Hanji, amazed at the behavior of the prince, followed in tow. They were met by Erwin, who had a similar look on his face.

Eren couldn't believe what was happening. He was already found by Levi, and he was now on Levi's shoulder. Eren glanced away from him, along with the approaching woman, and started blushing even more. He couldn't believe how lucky he already was.

_Take care of yourself, Armin_, he mouthed, looking at the ocean out of the corner of his eye. It seemed rough in response, and it caused Eren to look away.

Eren was brought into the castle, his heart beating fast in his chest, and was brought into the bathroom.

"Okay, brat," Levi growled, looking at him with disgust, "bathe. Clean up. You're disgusting."

Eren stared at him like he was speaking a different language; he cocked his head to the side curiously.

"Do you not know how to get clean?!" Levi snarled, causing Eren to shrink back, now sitting on the side of the tub.

Levi ran a hand through his hair, sighing, "I wonder where you're from, anyway. Now, get in the tub."

Levi grabbed the shampoo, "this is shampoo, brat. This goes on your head first, it washes your hair," he set it beside Eren's head on the side of the elegant tub. Next, Levi picked up the conditioner, "this is conditioner. It's last in your hair, and it makes it smooth."

He set that down beside the shampoo, and then reached for the soap, but Eren grabbed it, accidentally brushing Levi's hand as he felt a shock do through him. He grew shocked, but demonstrated rubbing it on his body, which caused Levi to nod. Eren beamed once again, which caught Levi off guard. He cleared his throat, straightening up.

"To turn on the water, turn the knobs to the left," he said as he walked out, adjusting his cuffs. A thought coming to his mind, "please tell me you know how to go to the bathroom."

Eren cocked his head to the side, like he was a toddler, and stared at the man confused. Levi held his face in his hands, sighing,"Damn kids."


	4. Dinner and a Date

After helping the boy get cleaned, Levi returned to his office to work on paperwork. The boy still needed help walking, but he was adjusting pretty well. Now, at least, he was eating.

After Levi finished with his paperwork, he went downstairs to join their guest in dining. As he entered the hallway, he realized he was the only one there for now. Levi looked around quizzically, and sat down as a butler pulled out a chair for him. Erwin sat on his right, Hanji on his left, giggling over something.

Levi sighed, not even deciding on asking about what the woman was thinking about now, and looked up as he heard shoes clack on the ground.

The boy was dressed in a light green shirt and beige pants with black boots, and a white cravat wrapped around nicely on his neck. The boy seemed to be able to walk now, and slowly made his way towards the table. A butler pulled out a chair for him, and he nodded in appreciation, smiling at him as he sat down-which caused a twinge in Levi.

Hanji, as if knowing all, started giggled, "Ah~, he's so cute," she swooned, grinning at the boy. He shyly looked down, embarrassed, as his face heated up. Hanji giggled in delight, "he'd certainly catch many girls' eyes around here!"

Eren's head snapped up, and his green eyes widened, causing him to shake his head frantically.

"Oh, do you not want a girl?" Hanji asked, which caused the boy to freeze. He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shrugged, but Levi unmistakably caught the boy's eyes flicker to him.

_Great_, Levi thought_, the brat likes me, _but Levi didn't feel too bad about it.

"Sir," one of the butlers called, striding over to Levi, "the princesses want to come ot the festival tomorrow with you, they have personally requested it."

Levi sighed, a husky growl escaping his lips, "tell them that I will see them in the evening. I'll spend the day showing our guest the kingdom."

Eren eyes lit up, grinning at Levi once again. Eren stood shakily, but managed to bow, and Levi dismissed him.

"Nothing to get excited over, brat," Levi muttered, and the food was then served. And, from what it seemed to be, the boy wasn't thrilled it was crab. He looked at the shell sadly, his lips moving fast, as if he was praying for it.

"Do you not like it, brat?" Levi asked, putting his hands under his chin, showing he was intrigued.

Eren bowed his head, but slowly shook it, starting to eat. The boy acted as if he hadn't seen food for a hundred years, tearing into the crab hungrily. Levi looked both disgusted and intrigued as he ate his crab very neatly, the boy eating messily like a toddler, or a young child. The brunette finished his meal first, embarrassed, and started cleaning up the mess he made.

"So," Levi asked, "what is your name, brat?"

He looked flustered for a moment, starting to use the lettuce to spell out E-R-E-N. Levi raised his eyebrows, "your name's Eren?"

Eren nodded, blushing slightly, a shiver running down his spine as Levi rolled the name off of his tongue.

"Can you write?"

Eren shrugged, spelling out _I really can only write in German_ in German, much to the older man's confusion. Hanji translated it for him, smiling.

"Yet, you understand English this well?"

Eren nodded, writing with his lettuce once again in German: _We learned in school. It's really easy to learn._

Levi sighed, "okay, enough of that. Since I don't know German, and Hanji's not sticking to my neck all the time, can you mouth English, at least?"

Eren nodded, smiling once again.

"Well, perfect then," Levi said, tidying up his placemat as the servants took it, then stood, "excuse me for now, I'm going to my quarters."

And, with that, Levi walked out of the room and upstairs, to his private wing.

Eren sighed, staring at the table as he started to clean up the lettuce, along with the mess he'd made from eating. He stared at the table as Hanji watched him curiously.

"I wonder…"she murmured, causing Eren to look up. She shook her head, smiling earnestly, standing up and helping Eren up along with her. He smiled in appreciation, leaning some of his weight onto her as his legs wobbled, and Hanji led him to his room.

The room was very big, with its own bathroom and a balcony overlooking the sea. The room was white, with the walls a cream color. The bed was cherry wood, with white sheets, and a canopy hung from the bed. Eren pointed to it, cocking his head to the side at Hanji, who laughed.

"That's called a canopy. I know, it's probably pretty girly, but all of the castle beds have this sort of thing," she answered, ruffling his hair. He smiled at her, and looked around more.

The vanity was on the far side, right by the bathroom door, where a walk-in closet also was. It didn't have much in it, but to Eren, it was beautiful. He walked to the bed, running his hand along the soft sheets, eyes widening.

Hanji laughed, walking into the closet to grab Eren a pair of silky, light green pajamas-well, very fancy, almost-everyday-clothing sleepwear. Eren took them from Hanji, placing them on the bed and running his hands over them, smiling in delight.

"This is all so new for you, isn't it?"

Eren nodded, looking at Hanji and bowing. She shook her head, ruffling his hair once again, "you really are so cute. You'd catch so many eyes."

Eren shook his head frantically, standing up straight. His eyes seemed to say _I only want a certain person. _Hanji looked like she was thinking, and Eren raised an eyebrow, confused. He sat on his bed, moving the curtain, which was now draped against his side.

"You have a special person, don't you, Eren?" Hanji asked, looking over the boy.

He looked at the floor for a moment, lost in deep thought. After a few minutes, he looked up at Hanji, shrugging.

_He doesn't…see me that way_, he mouthed, his eyes showing sadness.

Hanji nodded, "it is the prince, isn't it?"

Eren shrunk back, looking shocked as well as turning red. He shook his head furiously, his arms making an 'X.' Hanji chuckled, shaking her head.

"I'm smart, Eren," Hanji said, lightly punching her head, "I can figure things out easily."

Still, Eren shook his head, and Hanji advanced towards the door, "Well, I'll tease you about this later, Eren."

She winked at him, and he looked shocked, his eyes almost popping out of his head. "Goodnight, Eren!"

Eren waved, and Hanji shut the door behind him, thinking,"Didn't Levi say something about sea green eyes?"

Eren sighed, shedding his clothes and neatly folding them as he was taught, and then put on the silky sleepwear. He walked out onto the balcony, not minding as the sea breeze tousled his hair.

He looked out into the ocean, his eyes not able to see as well as he used to. He frowned, slightly missing the vision of mermaids. But, in the moonlight, he saw a blonde head along with a raven-haired one bobbing in the water. Eren waved, smiling sadly, and turned around. He walked back into his room, shutting the French doors behind him. Yawning, he climbed into the bed, passing out almost immediately. But first, he prayed for his luck to turn out well. Then, he fell into a deep sleep.

**A/N: Hey guys! I wrote two chapters while in school. XD Please read and review! i will always need it! And i'm writing a new chapter now. Sayonara~!**


	5. Day Two, A Kingdom!

Eren awoke to sun streaming into his eyes. He winced, squinting and covering his eyes with his arm. He would've groaned, but he had no voice.

"Up, brat," a voice growled, causing Eren to look towards where the voice was. He saw Levi standing on the balcony, and he swung his legs to the side of the bed and got up, stumbling over to the balcony railing, silently yawning.

"Morning," Levi murmured, "I was told to wake you up."

Eren nodded sleepily, rubbing his eyes, but looked out into the bright ocean, his eyes mimicking the color. He acted as if he was looking around for something in the water, Levi noted, and curiously watched the young boy.

Eren's eyes landed on a rock, where he saw a deep blue tail, and he grinned widely, but it died as the tail disappeared into the water. He absentmindedly reached for it, but pulled back, his hands gripping into the side of the railing. The prince studied him curiously, absentmindedly ruffling the boy's hair. Eren shut his eyes, huffing a sigh, and opened them when Levi pulled his hand away. Eren looked like he wanted to protest, but turned back towards his room, secretly wanting to run from the prince.

_Ah_, he thought_, I've never been so shy before!_

Eren covered his face with his hands, sighing as he went to fix his bed. Levi remained on the balcony, the breeze messing with the longer hair he had as he shut his eyes. Eren silently stared dreamily, and tore his eyes away once Levi turned towards the boy, Eren's back stiff.

Eren fixed the bed neatly, without a crease in it, and walked to his closet, pulling out a similar pair of clothes that had been set for him the night before. He then wandered into the bathroom, his body reacting to the cold tile floor under his feet. Eren lightly cringed, reaching over to turn on the nozzle for the tub, sighing in delight when the water started to run. He plugged the drain, running his hands under the warm water and shivering with delight. He turned around and monitored to see where Levi was-he must've left-and shut the bathroom door.

Walking back to the tub, he shed his clothes, getting in and sighing in delight at the warmth. _Nothing like the sea_, he thought, holding his breath and slipping under for a minute. He surfaced, wiping his eyes as his legs acted as if he had a tail once again, staying together as if they weren't human.

What Eren didn't know was that, when he was alone in a bath, his tail came back. As Eren opened his eyes, he discovered this, and would've been shrieking if he had a voice. He calmed himself down, shutting his eyes as he put shampoo into his hair, along with conditioner and washing his body.

He was just about to unclog the drain and push himself out when the door opened. Eren stared at it, shocked, and met an equally surprised Hanji.

"Ere-" she started, opening her eyes, which caught the tail immediately. Eren's eyes widened, splashing back into the tub, holding a finger to his lips with a pleading look on her face.

Hanji whirled to shut the door, and Eren pushed himself out, grabbing the towel and rubbing his tail as fast as he could, trying to get the water off. Hanji assisted, and soon, legs came back, and Eren grabbed his clothes, yanking them on as fast as he could.

Hanji chuckled, ruffling his hair with a smaller towel.

"Well," she murmured, "I didn't expect that."

Eren let out a silent laugh, and Hanji chuckled, helping him button his vest. The two walked out into Eren's room, to see a pacing Levi by the foot of his bed. Levi glared at the two of them, more so at Eren.

"Make me late again, brat," he snarled, "I dare you."

Eren bowed, looking flustered along with a flushed face, and Hanji chuckled. She fixed a fold in Eren's collar, who nodded gratefully, and the two men were off. They climbed in-Eren shakily-the carriage, the driver starting to trot his horse. Eren caught sight of the ocean almost immediately, and he stood up, gripping Levi's arm for support. Levi pulled him back down, Eren pouting in protest.

_Why?_, he mouthed slowly.

Levi chuckled, messing up his hair, "because it's not safe, brat," he said, pulling Eren beside him unconsciously. He stared out into the town, Eren doing the same as he blushed from the close contact.

_I'm on a date with Levi,_ he thought, _yes!_

As the man told the coach to take the scenic route, Eren gazed at the animals and reached out to touch them, successfully petting a deer. Eren's eyes softened at the fawn, and Levi watched, an eyebrow raised. The kid, as much as he didn't want to admit, kept Levi on his toes, and he always managed to surprise the man-wait, how old was he?

Levi, deciding to make conversation, tapped Eren's shoulder, "Oi, brat, how old are you exactly?"

Eren thought for a moment, pondering as he shrugged, _about a thousand or two_.

Levi's eyes widened, "eh? Brat, you should be long dead by now!" Eren shook his head, repeating his answer, using his hands this time to emphasize how old he was.

"How is that possible? Where exactly did you come from, brat?"

Eren thought for a moment, then motioned to the sea in the distance. Levi, again, grew a quizzical look, "that's ocean, Eren."

Eren nodded, looking back towards the glimmering water longingly, putting a hand on his throat. His mouth moved, much faster than Levi could read, and his eyes watered. The boy quickly blinked it away, wiping his eyes.

"What's wrong, brat?" Levi asked, absentmindedly cupping the boy's face in his hand, causing Eren to blush slightly. He slightly shook his head, giving a meaning of nothing, Eren's eyes flicking from Levi's to the floor and back. Sighing, Levi's hand pulled back, causing Eren's to shoot out and grab it. Once Eren realized what he was doing, he let the man's hand go, blushing, and turned his attention to the onlookers, who waved. He smiled, the green eyes brightening, and waved back. Levi studied him carefully, the feeling of a pull remaining in his chest. Only when this brat was around did it calm down.

As they neared the lake, the carriage slowed to a stop, the carriage driver coming to open the door and extend a hand to Levi, who gratefully took it. Eren slowly stood, following in suit, but froze for a moment as it was Levi who held out his hand to him. Eren's eyes widened, but took Levi's hand anyway as they headed towards the docks.

The two walked side by side, but Eren slowed as he got closer to the water. Was this water still dangerous? He thought, slowing to a stop, causing Levi to look back at Eren, waving his hand to signal the boy to move on. Eren cautiously walked towards the older man, freezing in place when said man hopped below the dock and into the boat. The mute boy's eyes went wide with alarm, causing him to stumble backwards and fall.

Levi sighed, climbing out of the boat and walking to the boy. He lifted said boy up bridal style, walking back to the boat as Eren squirmed like his life depended on it.

"Shitty brat," Levi growled, tightening his grip on the young boy. He sat down on the edge of the dock, setting Eren in first before he dropped and landed on his feet, rocking the boat with its impact, which caused Eren to freak out and drop to the bottom of the boat.

"Relax," Levi growled, "water isn't going to kill you. Well, if you can't swim, it will."

Eren sighed, climbing to sit on one of the benches, while Levi sat across from him. A light blush highlighted his features, and he smiled sheepishly at the older man. Soon, Levi was rowing them out into the middle of the lake, hidden from the rest of the world by the large trees.

"So brat," Levi growled with slight curiosity laced into his husky voice, "where did you come from?"

Eren pointed down below them.

"Hell?" Levi asked, cracking a smirk as the boy shook his head wildly. "Then where?"

Slowly, along with calculatingly, Eren mouthed _ocean_. That caused Levi to raise an eyebrow, "a shipwreck? Did you live out on a boat?"

Eren shook his head, staring at the water as his legs acted as if they were glued together. He looked at Levi, shaking his legs as if they were one, like a tail. Levi raised an eyebrow, staring at the boy funny.

"No way in hell you came from the sea," Levi murmured. The boy's eyes seemed to say '_I did! I did!_' but Levi ignored that fact. No human came from the sea, and mermaids weren't real, even if the kid was implying there were.

Levi started thinking, and Eren peered out into the lake water, which spread into a river and into the ocean. Eren started wondering if Armin was around, and that's when he heard it.

Someone was lightly singing. Two someones, really. Eren looked around, searching for the voices as blonde and raven colored hair visualized by the river. Eren grinned leaning towards the edge of the boat to try and see who it was. Eren glanced at Levi, who was lost in his thoughts, until he heard the hum of the older man's voice. He seemed to know the song they were singing. The older man's hum became louder; the voice of the man even muffled was silky and husky. Eren stared at him in wonder.

"Sorry, I just have a song stuck in my head," Levi mumbled as he looked into Eren's green eyes. Eren smiled and waved his hands as if he was saying 'go on!' and Levi did just that. The hum soon grew into a song:

_Will you still love me, when I'm no longer young or beautiful?_

_Will you still love me when I'm nothing but my aching soul?_

_I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will._

_Will you still love me when I'm no longer young or beautiful?_

Eren smiled at the older man, wondering what emotion his eyes were portraying. Levi looked over at the boy, his eyes softening a fraction, which the boy noticed. He smiled brightly at the man, who looked away as a faint red dusted his cheeks.

"So, do I suck?" Levi asked Eren, who shook his head feverishly. Eren also glanced towards the water; as he saw the blonde and raven disappear.

Instead, he saw a blue and red tail swimming closer to him. Eren's eyes widened as the tails swam closer. He grabbed Levi's arm, frantically tugging as he pointed towards the water.

"What, brat? There's nothing down there," Levi grumbled, looking into the water. The boat started rocking; throwing Eren into the man's lap, Levi gasped in surprise, and put his hands on Eren's hips, looking up into the green eyes that reflected the sea.

"Eren…" Levi murmured, causing Eren to smile at him sheepishly and start blushing. Eren placed his hands on Levi's shoulders, shifting and starting to move off of him as a hand pulled him back. Eren's eyes widened greatly, his face turning red. Eren saw a light blush dance across Levi's cheeks and he beamed, situating himself back into Levi's lap and put his palms on the man's shoulders.

"Do you enjoy it here, Eren?" Levi murmured softly, locking with the sea green. Eren nodded, beaming at the man as he hugged Levi tightly. Pulling back to look at said man, he saw something change in the grey orbs as he raised an eyebrow curiously. Levi just shook his head, his arms wrapping tighter around the boy's waist. "I enjoy you being here, Eren. You remind me of someone I met at a shipwreck one day, and he had the same colored eyes as you."

Eren pointed to himself, jabbing a finger at his chest. Levi looked at him curiously and the boy sighed, slumping as if he was defeated. Eren instead tightened his arms around Levi's neck, situating himself closer and Levi's hands moved to the boy's thighs that were on either side of his own hips. Eren leaned in closer to the man, moving a hand to his hair as Levi leaned forward.

Their lips were about to touch as a squawk from a bird made them both jump, Eren falling back onto the bench. Eren sighed once again, looking down sadly, and Levi put a hand on top of the boy's.

"Let's get back home," Levi said softly, grabbing the ores as he started to row back towards the docks. Eren looked out into the water, seeing his friends who were looking at him sadly. He pouted to them, showing how sad and frustrated he was. Armin waved, shrugging as Mikasa dove under the water. Eren looked back at Levi for a moment, and when he looked back to where Armin had been, he was gone.

Eren sighed, slouching as he shut his eyes. He listened to Levi row the boat back to shore, and faster than he'd hoped, they were back at the docks. Eren groggily opened his eyes, staring sleepily at the man across from him. Levi let out a chuckle, lifting the teen into a cradle, bridal style, as they climbed onto the dock and walked back to the carriage. The ride back wasn't nearly as long, and Eren spent it resting with his head on Levi's shoulder, the older man's arm around the teen's waist. Levi ruffled Eren's hair, and placed a light kiss on his forehead.

"What are you doing to me, brat?" he sighed, relaxing back into the seat as Eren breathed heavily on his shoulder, the teen's breath ghosting over his neck and part of his shoulder. Levi lightly rubbed his fingers through the teen's hair, smiling to himself as he covered it with his hand, "you're really something, Eren. You really are."

The carriage pulled into the palace stables, in which Levi first inspected before he stepped out, saying they needed to be cleaned tomorrow. He then carried Eren up into the main floor where he was met with maids, who told Levi they'd take care of Eren for him. Levi just shook his head, looking down at the boy in his arms and fighting a smile. "I got him," he'd say to them, "he's really not that heavy. He'll be okay with me."

He then went up to Eren's room, a maid following to help him get the young man dressed into sleep clothes. Levi tucked him in to bed, looking at him with an unknown expression to Levi, which was love. He then shut his eyes, kissing Eren's forehead, nose, and cheeks before hovering over said teen's lips. Ghosting his over the boy's own, he stepped back, sighing as he ran a hand through his raven hair.

"Don't tell anyone," Levi snapped to the maid, "this brat doesn't deserve pampering like this ever again."

The maid just smiled knowingly, bowing to the prince as he made his way out of the room and into his own private wing.

"Eren," Levi sighed as he crawled into his huge bed, putting an arm on his forehead, "you really are something."

And, with that, the prince fell asleep.

**Sorry for not updating! But, here's the next chapter before my internet shuts off. I hope you guys like it! **

**See you next chapter, love you all~! **


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